outside zone blocking rules

<> He can then read the block of his Playside Tackle to determine if he will press the ball outside or make a single cut back to the Inside. Case 1: "Covered" Blocking Concepts to the Play Side. There are certain indicators that would "tip off" some form of angle or stunt to the play side of zone. H Lead up, looking outside in Position Base Rules WRs Playside: Block the Most-Dangerous Man (MDM) Backside: Cutoff Stay alert for Bubble Tags or Audible OL Zone Combo - Covered / Uncovered Rules to Stack LB F A-Gap to A-Gap run Primary 1-back formation Case 4: The Path/Reads of the Ball Carrier. These indicators can include: Although the outside zone or stretch scheme is an outside hitting play, any interior penetration could slow down the course of the ball carrier. The center goes through or pulls for the Mike LB. These number labels on the defense correlate to numbers given to the offensive linemen. Everything that Zweifel teaches in his outside zone progression is based upon the "reach and overtake" mantra that he drills into his linemen from day one. Aiming points and angles are some of the most important rules for the OL That means he can leave and climb after his own three steps and get onto a linebacker. The best part about the Outside Zone scheme is that it can be used in a multitude of different ways to attack the defense. Blocking Outside Zone Using the Count System The play is designed to go to the right. The fullback is responsible for picking up the defensive end on the left side of the field. We're here just to spark the debate and give you some fodder to decide how best to run your scheme. The end would line up head-up on the offensive tackle. The cornerstone of blocking rules starts with blocking seven for seven across the front in 12 personnel . Look at your gap - This includes pre-snap so you get an idea of whether or not you're going to get a defender in your face right away. In this instance the Running Back will line up next to the Quarterback opposite of the play call. The last thing we wanted to address were the various "pin and pull" techniques that some coaches are using to get to the perimeter. Backside hand through the sternum. Follow, Head Coach Monterey HS @coach_besaw born and raised in the Spread (Eugene, OR) covering all things Spread Offense, A few different ways you can use the sniffer tight end in the run game Any team running a pound-it between the tackles power offense should consider implementing outside zone. Even if they cannot gain the edge, running backs will work outside-in until a gap pops open. Here we need to attack the play side armpit with the inside hand first, then work to the second level. It's basically the same principle X&O Labs uncovered back in March when we released our inside zone report. Another common way to utilize the Outside Zone blocking scheme is to get the ball to the running back out of the backfield. Huawei is pitching this offering as a way for hospitals to cut network rollout . The center is 0, the play-side guard is 1, play-side tackle is 2, backside guard is -1, and the backside tackle is -2. Each O-Lineman's goal is to get in between his man and the sideline, however, this lateral step will sometimes cause the defender to . -Designed by Thrive Themes| Powered by WordPress, Understanding the Zone Blocking Scheme in Football, What is a Quarterback in Football? The whole point of the play is to block a defender where they are, and not have to "move them." The occurs after contact. Click here. Both ultimately accomplish the same thing. Sure, some teams have chosen to man block the play, 73.8 percent of coaches still use a covered and uncovered principle when running the outside zone. The second player is a -2, and so on. With inside zone, vertical steps backside are used to create double teams. It is critical that he is able to read the Tackle. Again, the purpose of the outside zone is to show a horizontal stretch on the defense. There were numerous reasons as to why high school coaches don't tell their kids to cut block, but perhaps no other coach was more straightforward about it then Sweeney. Here, the end man on the line of scrimmage to the play-side jabs in on the snap which allows for left tackle David Bakhtiari to be able to seal him and give the Packers the outside. This all creates a ton of pursuit to the play-side and opens up a small crease on a cutback for the running back. GOD - Gap on Down; GOLD - Gap on LB Down; GOO - Gap on Outside (pass) Zone blocking uses very consistent rules that do not change according to the defensive front. I would have no other time to run other schemes.". Basic Zone Blocking Rules: Inside Gap (first rule is to protect inside gap) Head UP (head up is considered from inside shoulder to outside shoulder) Climb to LB. The Outside Zone begins with a lateral step to the playside; this is essentially a side step. the difference between an inside and outside zone, and how . Follow us for breaking news and latest updates: Thanks for subscribing! These are the primary rules for outside zone. The blocking has been simplified in the past twenty years with the advent of zone blocking rules, that enable several backfield plays to be run with the same blocking scheme. "He was the best in the business at that time and he used to tell us he always wanted to see our butts so that he can make the right cut. Initially, the Inside Zone looks like a really simple play as. Running backs also have to be able to key and see that pre-snap to adjust their track accordingly. % The defensive line wins outside leverage from both the defensive end and play-side defensive tackle spots. Outside zone is a play that aims to attack the edge of the defense but utilizes backside cutoffs. Copyright ©2023 Youth Football Online. It all starts with. It's not as wide. This could ultimately lead to catastrophe. 2 0 obj By doing this a couple of different things are accomplished. One of the more popular variations of outside zone is the outside zone RPO. That can then open huge cutback lanes in the middle of the field for running backs to take advantage of. But then, a hole in the man blocking system was exposed by smart defensive coaches. Even the Blocking Scheme in itself is very different in the the . It works great as a horizontal flow and is common to use on boot legs and play action. 4 0 obj Communicate with each other. It's all doable depending on the path of the back which Zweifel explains. Using outside zone as a base run play opens up other concepts like play-action plays (where you fake the outside zone handoff and throw it deep outside) or gap schemes. One advantage of running this play from Under Center is the Play Action potential it opens up. They're starting to put like, a bunch of . Those numbers for the defense can adjust in real time with pre-snap motion and fakes that move defenders into different alignments. "I don't like the theory of keeping the outside arm free - you need four hands on defender," says Sweeney. ", We've found the emphasis on the covered lineman is to have his shoulders pointed up field at all times. stream I found this excellent article that breaks it all down here. Stick your foot in the ground and making a slashing cut north and south. He will identify the force player then make the decision on whether or not that player can make the play based on his leverage on the player who is blocking him. We hope that you can take a couple things from this report and bring it back to your program to become more successful. "We watch the inside foot pre-snap. . If not, run to the strong side A gap and cut off anything you could possibly see. Now, this aspect of the scheme won't be covered in this report, but please know we are currently working on a report that outlines this package in great detail. For years, offensive linemen were given man blocking responsibilities. On most outside zone schemes, particularly ones run at the higher levels of football, offensive lineman would cut block defenders on the back-side of the play - regardless of whether that player was a first or second level defender. The wide-zone run scheme is a play based on horizontal movement. Flag football is a great game to play, especially during the offseason. Click here to sign up - it's FREE! "We got it from Glen Mason while he was at the University of Minnesota. But besides that, the 2 plays are very different. However, in the past few years under running game coordinator . We have even told him sometimes to cut the front side 3-tech." All children, especially those considered high risk, will learn life lessons from participating in youth football. Click here. "When you cut on the back-side of zone you knock off the rest of the offensive lineman that are trying to trail the play." What are the key pieces of a successful Zone Run Scheme? The Outside Zone Read is similar to the Inside Zone Read in the sense that it the Quarterback is Reading the Last man on the Line of Scrimmage and the Line is Zone Blocking. Each of our plays may have 3 to 4 different ways to block the play based on the defensive formation. https://spreadoffensefootball.com/using-the-sniffer-tight-end-in-the-run-game/. There are a variety of different coaching points that must be mastered but one of the key things is that the runner gets the ball at as close to full speed as possible. The left guard has someone in their play-side gap so they attack their play-side shoulder. INSIDE ZONE FROM WEAK OFFSET PRO I FORMATION Inside Zone Strong Inside Zone Weak Inside Zone Lead Strong Inside Zone Lead Weak OUTSIDE ZONE Coaching Points-Outside Zone Outside Zone Strong GENERAL FORMATION & PLAY SETUP COACHING NOTES : Inside Zone Ballhandler Notes : Inside Zone O-Line Rules Inside Zone O-Line Technique Notes : Miscellaneous Zone Running Game Notes: (3 pgs . In addition to our research, we've also consulted with over a dozen coaches on this topic so that they can provide you with how they run the scheme. Various trigger concepts: By "trigger" concepts we're referring to the actions off zone option such as the flash or speed sweep, the outside zone option as well as the reverse package. Try to cut off the defensive end, so the running back can get to the edge, If the defensive end widens and youre not able to cut him off, then try to run him to the sideline. For spread teams, having the running back at an offset alignment or a pistol alignment gives the running back enough room to make a read off of the play side tackle. His job is to secure players in his gap so that the center can overtake him. !~EV9qJ/f}T}%^=uL!5w\+J#AXz^eyMU=`h2ayaU\d{ gb VJ0 NR|PVp%%s|k/Dd1@aj$H>687 $ Outside zone plays follow the same basic rules listed above with a few general guidelines that should be followed. Now let's zero in on the right side of the field to illustrate the example of which offensive lineman will peel off to block the Mike linebacker. Can't see the diagram? There are two primary rules: covered and uncovered. I believe that a player who thinks he can run fast will beat a player who thinks he is going to be running slow. Ruel calls his uncovered technique a "stretch scoop." 1 0 obj When the ball is snapped the Quarterback will take the snap and step directly back as the Running Back come across his face. It's used against and eight man front. But when we conducted our research, we've found that the majority of coaches we polled (37.8 %) do not teach the cut block back-side. toInside Zone Rulesin that they use the covered/uncovered read and playside direction. This forces the safety to hold back and not come downhill for the run fit. Zone blocking is a style of blocking for offensive linemen that was created by offensive coaches in response to a new style of defense that had emerged. The technique is obviously different from blocking inside zone to blocking outside zone. Navigate to Security > WAF > Tools. Click here. If the Tackle is unable to seal his man the Running Back must plant with his playside foot and cut vertically upfield. Offensive coaches needed to come up with a solution, and that solution was zone blocking. OL = Outside Zone blocking. This will close any holes between the linemen and prevent defenders from busting through them. We base block the TE, block back on the 3-technique, pull the guard, and the center. Ruel stresses the idea of keeping his lineman's shoulders square and getting the stomach up field to guarantee the defender gets hooked. Teams that can effectively execute outside zone will have success. In this drill, we work with a shaded down defender and a stacked Linebacker (or whatever we will see that week). Maximizing the Outside Zone Blocking Scheme. Starting with the center, the philosophy is to cut off the person in your next gap. Any time you run and pin and pull, it is a cut on the back-side - no scoop. What this does is result in a lot of double-team blocks at the line of scrimmage. We need to open his shoulders and work to the outside LB. 4 hands on DLM, 4 eyes on LB. But here comes the beauty of the zone blocking scheme. Truth is, 53 percent of coaches feel that it doesn't need to be a top play in your offense for it to be successful. %PDF-1.5 ", Milt Tenopir, the legendary offensive line coach under Tom Osbourne at Nebraska, believed in the same philosophy of having his covered offensive lineman really work to get to the second level. The best part about the Outside Zone scheme is that it can be used in a multitude of different ways to attack the defense. It started to become popular in the 1980s and in the 1990s with Alex Gibbs and Mike Shanahan. Outside zone has been a part of NFL run games for decades. Right shoulder, 90% chance he is mine. A primary goal of almost all offenses is to get the ball to a speedy player in space. One of the toughest parts of running the Stretch play is in coaching the Running Back. The backside tackle and tight end fight to cut off their defenders and prevent them from shooting gaps. This can be run from a variety of different formations and sets which makes it particularly difficult to defend. . That caused offensive coaches to try to come up with a new blocking scheme thatd counter the slant and angle scheme and also protect against future defensive schemes that coaches might create. The tackle cannot come off the ball with no concern of the defender slanting inside. The guard to the read side has to avoid the defensive linemen and go. The RB will key the block on the first D-lineman playside on inside zone, and make a cut based off the block on him. The Running Back is still making the same read on the Tackle. The Packers here choose to help their backside guard with their center. <> This helps eliminate some concerns especially if you are pulling a fast player over from defense to run the play. If the center can't get the nose reached, he asks for help. "As the covered lineman takes his stretch step to the outside V of the neck, his back-side hand placement is the thing that will slow him down enough to catch the five-technique defender if he slants inside," said Hand. Diagrams 8-10 (Keith Grabowski's RB reads on force defender) Can't see the diagram? When the EMLOS is aligned in a wide-9 technique or way outside the PST, the PST now has to kick that player out. The center does an excellent job of helping on his defensive tackle and then passing them off to the BSG. Shoot, my guys blocked inside zone so much that they were taking their steps and shooting their hands while . First, the linemen who are double team blocking in tandem must stay hip-to-hip. It can also efficiently be run with one back, which would still give you the advantage of the leverage on the defense based on what you put into their gaps on either side. Reps. Reps. Reps. Reps. Reps. That's all my guys did in practice. endobj Outside zone can be run from different formations, depending on where the coach wants the play to hit. Before we talk specifics, we wanted to give you a general consensus of why teams are running the scheme. So when we asked Zweifel the same question of whether or not his kids cut on the back-side, we expected a different answer. I'll focus on the wide zone, because that's more iconic to what Gibbs . The responsibility of blocking these two players will land with either the offensive tackles or the offensive guards. Keith Grabowski, the offensive coordinator at Baldwin Wallace College (OH) teaches his tailback the six second rule. In 2011, Oregon averaged 9.8 yards per play as they ran this play 36 times for 353 yards and 2 touchdowns. Click here. Use the unsubscribe link in those emails to opt out at any time. Remember above assume BOB. Spread Offensive Run Plays Complete Guide, How To Run Counter In Football Complete Guide, Running The Power Play In Football Complete Guide, The Gap Scheme & How Its Run In Every Offense, What Is Power Read In Football? So Herb Hand, the offensive line coach at Vanderbilt University (who spent a good part of his coaching career under famed spread coaches like Rich Rodriquez and Gus Malzahn) emphasizes the drag hand technique of the covered offensive lineman. I've admired the way the Indianapolis Colts ran the scheme to perfection under center with Peyton Manning and with the efficiency with which Oregon ran it this year out of the shotgun. <> "When we put the lead foot where it is supposed to be, the rest of the body will come with you," said Tenopir. The first pro of inside zone is its simplicity for offensive linemen. Ruel's Techniques of a Stretch Hook (covered lineman): Rip to run on second step by driving back shoulder through defender - this provides for a cutoff scenario. One way Duo is often explained is Power without a puller. It's a curveball, so to speak, to keep defenses off balance and on its heels. :0d-D$:7l+kWqmW8\6*#$Iwf?jBhs(. The benefit of cutting off defensive linemen is that it naturally opens up running lanes for the running back. Your counting rules for zone blocking also work for pass blocking; OL players become interchangeable, as all the rules stay the same. The difference is in the how they are blocking. The tackle would pick up the block, but it would knock the guard off course in the process. (RB Position Guide), What are Up Downs in Football? The two plays are based on the teaching that in any inside or outside zone play, there are "covered" and "uncovered" linemen. Outside zone and wide zone are often related to one another because of where they play hits. That 3-technique would be the next adjacent down lineman. The BSG then gets up to the second level. The linemen still count their defenders to the play side when determining their responsibilities. 28 Zone 'Slice'" - now we can still read what the DE does, but we have a body blocking him. The first player backside (of the center) is labeled as -1. It simplified the roles and responsibilities for each offensive lineman since he was only asked to worry about one defender. If players are stacked, the lower number goes to the defender closer to the line of scrimmage. The running back has three primary rules: bend, bang, and bounce. 1st step = Zone 2nd step = crotch Landmark = inside hand on sternum. Covered: There is a first level defender (DLM) from my nose to the nose of the adjacent lineman play side. That opens up a nice lane down the middle. On the backside, the LG = -1 and the LT = -2. But how these coaches teach their blocking assignments will vary, as we will explain below. Although Ruel doesn't teach a bucket step for those uncovered offensive linemen, we've found that the majority of coaches, 32.8 percent, teach a bucket step for that uncovered lineman. Used for OutsideZoneBlocking when uncovered. All rights reserved. You should receive a confirmation email shortly asking you to verify your subscription. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. Theres a lot of moving parts and there are a lot of areas that need to be practice in a short amount of time. "He wants to get started up field because he is going to come off on the next level. Teams who use outside zone as a primarily outside zone run play may have their running back trying to get to the edge no matter what. For the zone blocking scheme to work properly, there are some keys that offensive linemen need to follow. This eliminates rules for the bend bang or bounces from the running back. Of course, when you have backs behind Manning with the speed of Edgerrin James and Joey Addai, getting to the perimeter of the defense is almost guaranteed. Pass pro rules can matchup, adding another level to the adaptability. We tell our guard he must get beyond the man (far jersey number) before he can come back on him. Vertical push on IZ (inside zone). Again its important to drill this technique so it becomes second nature to the Running Backs. The Outside Zone allows an offense to do this in a variety of different ways. Second, the offensive linemen must keep their shoulders square. 5/5 Stars. This can be a great way to get the ball on the edge and utilize a WR who might not be getting a lot of passes thrown to him. On the backside, the LG & LT (-1 & -2) will take care of the Nose and Will (-1 & -2) and the QB will read (or boot) the BSDE (-3) to account for him in the blocking scheme. (Diagram 1) Can't see the diagram? Coach starts off with a powerpoint lecture and then proceeds to his two main drills on tape and then advances to game film. This gives a nice initial push at the point of attack to prevent defensive linemen from breaking free into the backfield. Regardless of how the handoff takes places the Jet man will be getting the ball and stretching the edge of the field. The defense counters with four defensive linemen, as well as the Sam linebacker lining up in tight toward the line of scrimmage. It also shows the running back reading sequentially down the line. The new defensive scheme completely disrupted the thinking of man blocking, and it found many holes in the approach. But if it's not a base scheme, we were curious to find out why coaches are spending the time implementing it. Hand tells us the specifics of his ball carrier's path in outside zone from the shotgun formation. The offensive lineman is told that he must read covered or uncovered. But against stunting first level defenders, keeping both shoulders squared becomes a difficult fundamental to accomplish. . Outside zone forces defenses to run horizontally and puts more responsibility on the running back to make the blocking scheme of the offensive line effective. Once the lineman is engaged with a defender, he needs to stay engaged until he feels the next adjacent lineman take his assignment over. Outside zone is a simple yet effective running play. By slanting the defensive linemen a certain direction, itd cause the offensive linemen to follow them, which would then cut off other offensive linemen from being able to block linebackers.